Hamburg Historical Naval Flags - part 2 (1716 - 1868)

Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg

Last modified: 2013-03-26 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: germany | historical | hamburg | banner of arms | castle(white) | tower(white) | towers(3) | tower(black) | star(6-point) |
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• 18th Century Flag
(reported 1716)
• Flag of convoy ship 'WAPEN VON HAMBURG' (no.III)
(reported 1720)
• 18th Century Flag
(reported 1737)
• 18th Century Flag
(reported 1737 and 1750)
• 18th Century Flag
(reported 1737 and 1750)
• Hamburg (1751-1861)
• Hamburg on French Flag Chart (reported 1756)
• Flag#1
• Flag#2
• Flag#3
• Hamburg on Spanish Flag Chart (reported 1756)
• 18th Century Flag (reported 1769)
• blue 19th Century Flag (reported 1848)
• Hamburg Merchant Ensign - Model 1837 (reported 1855)
• Hamburg (1861-1868)

See also:

• Historical Flags (Hamburg)
• Hanseatic Cities (Germany, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland)
• Hamburg
• Germany

18th Century Flag (Reported 1716)

Same as the 17th-19th centuries flag but gate has two towers.
Norman Martin, January-February 1998

Flag of convoy ship 'WAPEN VON HAMBURG' (no.III) (Reported 1720)

It is a red (RGB: 181/2/69) admiralty flag with white castle being not embattled and having an open gate and eight windows. The anchor is completely blue.I can say nothing, whether this flag is trustworthy. for it probably had been exchanged several times since 1720.
Source: I spotted this flag upon the stern of a construction model of the "WAPEN VON HAMBURG"(no.3), dated 1720, in Hamburgmuseum on 9 August 2008.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 May 2010

18th Century Flag (Reported 1737)

Red with a single white tower in upper hoist.
Norman Martin, January-February 1998

18th Century Flag (Reported 1737 and 1750)

Red with three white towers arranged 2 and 1. Illustrated in Smith 1975 p. 204.
Norman Martin, Jan-Feb 1998

18th Century Flag(Reported 1737 and 1750)

White with a single black tower in upper hoist. Illustrated in Smith 1975 p. 204.
Norman Martin, Jan-Feb 1998

Hamburg 1751-1861

Description of flag:
It is a red flag with a white Hamburg-gate shifted to the hoist. I must admit that the “gate” is really a castle. It seems to be so, that a gate turns into a castle according to German terms, when it has at least three towers (see e.g. flag of Kalkar described by Stadler 1972, p.57).
This variant of the gate has an open door with a half-closed portcullis. The three towers have altogether eight open windows. There are also two embrasures shaped like crosses. The towers are neither topped by cross nor by the stars of St.Mary.
KLUDAS claims that the flag was used up to 1861. Meyer, Schultz and Paschke say furthermore that this pattern was used since 1751.
Sources: Arnold Kludas: Die Geschichte der deutschen Passagierschiffahrt (5 Bde.), Hamburg 1986; Reprint Laibach Slovenia-Buch Nr. 03617-8, flag chart p.222-224
Poster entitled: "Die geschichtliche Entwicklung der als deutsche Nationalflaggen auf See gefahrenen und von den seefahrenden Nationen anerkannten deutschen Kriegs- und Handelsflaggen",
engl: "The historical evolution of those German national flags used on ships and recognized as German war flags or merchant flags by the naval nations", edited by Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum Bremerhaven, 1981, based on an original version of Kapitän zur See a.D. Karl Schultz, all flags on the poster are painted by E. Paschke.
Jürgen Meyer: “Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945“; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; cover inside
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 August 2008

Like the 17th-19th centuries flag, but with a white 6-pointed star above two outer towers. First officially adopted 14 May 1751, readopted 6 June 1834, 6 October 1897 and 6 June 1952. Illustrated in Pedersen 1970 no. 150 and Crampton 1990 p. 44.

Hamburg on French Flag Chart(reported 1756)

Flag#1

It is a red flag with three white towers with open gate ordered 2:1. The towers are shifted to the hoist. This one is denoted as flag of Hamburg.

Flag#2

It is a blue flag with three white towers with open gate ordered 2:1. The towers are shifted to the hoist. This one is denoted as other flag of Hamburg.

Flag#3

It is a red flag with a yellow tower with open gate, masoned black and embattled. The tower is shifted to the hoist and topped by three torrets crowned by a flag each. The flags are pointing to the hoist. This one is also denoted as other flag of Hamburg.
Source: Bellin: "Tableau des Pavillons ou Bannieres que la pluspart des Nations arborent a la Mer" (1756), (Engl.: table of flags and banners which the major part(?) of the Nations hoists afloat),
spotted in Maritimes Museum of Hamburg on 25 September 2008
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Jun 2011

Hamburg on Spanish Flag Chart

It is nearly the same like flag#3 above but the tower is centred and the gate is closed by a yellow door, thus reconfirming flag#3 from French chart reported also 1756:
Source: Banderas que las Naciones arbolan en la Mar (1756), (Engl.: Flags which the nations hoist afloat)
spotted in Military Museum of Sta. Cruz de Tenerife on 22 April 2008
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 1 Jun 2011

18th Century Flag(Reported 1769)

Same as this 18th century flag, but field is blue.

blue 19th Century Flag (reported 1848, 1858 and 1865)

Same as the 17th-19th centuries flag, but the sheet is blue.
Source: Illustrated in Smith 1975, p. 117.
Norman Martin, Jan 1998

Hamburg Merchant Ensign - Model 1837 (reported 1855)

Hamburg merchant ensign - model 1837
It was a red flag with ratio 2:3, showing a white castle with blue tower windows, a partially open white portcullis flanked by two red spyholes and masoned at the bottom. The castle was shifted to the hoist that way that the outer tower was in the middle of the flag. Above the towers there was empty space between 1/6 and 1/5 ot total height. The total height of the castle was between 3/5 and 2/3 of total height. Furthermore the base of the castle had to be a line, the central tower should be topped by a cross (his image doesn't match this detail) and stars upon the other towers were forbidden in order to avoid a misinterpretation as a symbol of rank. As no special law was made, modifications were allowed, if "they wouldn't alloy the overall impression". This means in practice that the castle often was masoned completely. Furthermore it is explicitly mentioned that also the use ashore was permitted, also as civil flag.
Source:Gaedechens 1855, p.42ff
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 13 Sep 2012

Hamburg 1861 - 1868

Description of flag:
It is a red flag with a white Hamburg-gate in its centre. In this pattern the door is closed and the towers are topped as usual by a cross (centre) and the well known 6-point-stars of St.Mary. The central tower here is not higher than both others. The corners of the basement are rounded and you can recognize brickwork on the flyend sides of the basement and all the three towers (partially masoned).
KLUDAS claims that the flag was used up to 1861. Meyer, Schultz and Paschke say furthermore that this pattern was used since 1751.
Sources: Arnold Kludas: Die Geschichte der deutschen Passagierschiffahrt (5 Bde.), Hamburg 1986; Reprint Laibach Slovenia-Buch Nr. 03617-8, flag chart p.222-224
Poster entitled: "Die geschichtliche Entwicklung der als deutsche Nationalflaggen auf See gefahrenen und von den seefahrenden Nationen anerkannten deutschen Kriegs- und Handelsflaggen",
engl: "The historical evolution of those German national flags used on ships and recognized as German war flags or merchant flags by the naval nations", edited by Deutsches Schifffahrtsmuseum Bremerhaven, 1981, based on an original version of Kapitän zur See a.D. Karl Schultz, all flags on the poster are painted by E. Paschke.
Jürgen Meyer: “Hamburger Segelschiffe von 1795-1945“; ISBN 3-89225-400-1; Hamburg 1999; cover inside
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 August 2008

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